Part 2
“I’m calling whoever is a fool, a fool!”
“I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
The Mingren Hall devolved from verbal abuse into a physical brawl. This was followed by the crying of children and the frantic coaxing of women, a never-ending clamor.
The eunuchs could only try their best to maintain order. Someone must have struck something, for a loud bang echoed through the Mingren Hall!
The hall fell silent for a moment before the head eunuch could speak. “Ladies, aunts, young masters, and young missesâthis servant kowtows to you all.”
“Right now, the nation is in crisis. It is the time for us to be of one heart and mind.”
“You have all been granted fiefs and fertile land. Once we are victorious, you will have endless glory and wealth to enjoy!”
“The generals are fighting bloody battles on the front lines. Everyone just needs to endure a few days of hardship in the rear. I hope everyone can be patient!”
Prince Yong let out a “tsk” from outside.
He mused secretly: I can’t understand this. Xindu is surrounded as tight as an iron bucketâwhat kind of fiefs and fertile land are they handing out?
The crowd in Mingren Hall calmed down slightly.
The woman who had been fighting earlier seemed to be the first to let go. Voices of discussion and comparison began to rise within the hall:
“My man is covered in old wounds. Whenever the rainy season comes, the pain in his bones is unbearable. The doctor said soaking in hot springs can cure it. I took a liking to the springs at Mount Li, so the Lord granted us a place there.”
“Lin’er has a chronic cough and couldn’t follow the army north.”
“Master Fan said Xindu has a pleasant climate and will be the secondary capital in the future. He granted me land here.”
“Chang’an is prosperous and wealthy; I want to go north to see it. I asked the Lord for two blocks of the city. I’ll have the most famous pleasure street in Chang’an leveled to the ground, so my man won’t keep thinking about it after he enters the capital.”
“…”
Prince Yongâs brow began to throb.
Even for someone as absurd as Prince Yong, this felt like a complete mess.
It turned out the rebels were holding family members hostage to force the soldiers to fight, and then pre-granting post-war fiefs to give them something to look forward to.
âThis was Fan Zhiaiâs second “poisonous scheme.”
Prince Yong only wanted to sneer.
But not everyone was so easily fooled. Some rebel family members who saw through the ploy asked, “What if we don’t win? Won’t that mean we’ll never see our husbands and sons one last time?”
“We are huddled here in Mingren Hall like animals, while the consorts live comfortably just a few walls away in their individual courtyards.”
“What ‘Redistribution of Land’? You can’t even redistribute the land in this palace!”
“Bold! How can you slander the Lord like that!”
The head eunuchâs voice sharpened immediately.
He had been playing humble earlier just to ensure nothing went wrong in Mingren Hall. Now that the talk in the room had gone too far, if he didn’t stop it, the Lord would surely blame him when he found out.
The head eunuch said, “Gongshun, Ruyi, go help Madam [X] out so she can cool off for a moment.”
“Yes, Eunuch.”
“I’ll see who dares touch my mother!!!”
The daughter of a martial family started a fight right there in Mingren Hall. Fighting each other was different from hitting a eunuch. The woman being surrounded by the eunuchs likely held an extraordinary status in the city, for she instantly drew helpers to her side.
Mingren Hall erupted into a violent brawl.
Everything inside went completely off the rails. Eunuchs wailed incessantly. The chaos caused people to flee in all directions. Madam Che, whose medical treatment had been delayed, fainted completely. Her relatives frantically pounded on the doors, and the families from other households couldn’t take it anymore either.
“Let us out!”
Prince Yong felt a wave of comfort throughout his body listening to this commotion.
The harder the riot, the more it stimulated Prince Yongâs desire for destruction.
He lunged toward the two guards watching the main gate of Mingren Hall. He knocked one unconscious to seize his blade and cut down the other. Then, pinching his throat, he let out a loud roar:
“Break out of Mingren Hall! We want to go home to see our families! Charge!”
Ying Dang threw his arms wide, and the doors of Mingren Hall swung open with a crash.
The nearly one thousand family members packed inside, who had long wanted to flee, surged toward the outside. The sound of crying, shouting, and anger shook the heavens. The crowd was like a tidal wave.
Itâs a mess now!!!
Prince Yong cheered.
The massive commotion he caused led countless guards in the Xindu Palace to believe the city had fallen. Innumerable soldiers rushed toward the source of the chaos, turning the entire Xindu Palace into a pot of boiling porridge.
The guards had lost order, and gaps appeared in the defenses. Prince Yong took advantage of the chaos to leap over the palace wall, casting one last look back at the ridiculous Xindu Palace.
…
Prince Yong fled Xindu under the cover of night. By the time he returned to the camp, it was the following evening. The sunset was as red as blood, a magnificent sight.
He had indeed scouted vital intelligence. In his excitement to see his brother and claim credit, he didn’t even care about his wounds and hadn’t found the time to change his clothes.
“Where is my Imperial Brother!” he asked the first person he saw.
“Reporting to Your Highness, yesterday our army suffered a major blow from Che Chengren, losing another thousand men. His Majesty was displeased. Coupled with General Xie requesting to fight again, the Saint has just entered General Xie’s tent,” a soldier replied.
Prince Yongâs expression shifted several times.
To think that while I suffered and bled, even losing my saber, a Vile Dog took the opportunity to move in?
Prince Yong was furious. “When did he go?!”
The soldier was stunned. Rumors had just started spreading through the camp that Prince Yong had turned over a new leaf, but why did he feel the Highness before him was still… raving mad?
The soldier trembled. “Itâs been a while.” Under Prince Yongâs intimidating glare, he added precisely, “About the time it takes to drink two or three cups of tea…”
Two or three cups of teaâthatâs long enough to do anything!
If that “Vile Dog” was a weakling, they could have even gone for several rounds.
Intense possessiveness triggered wild, boundless fantasies. Fire raged in Prince Yongâs chest, and he nearly crushed his teeth.
He rushed toward his brother’s location. From a distance, he saw the tent standing solitary in the camp. The entrance was tightly shut, and not a single Longwu guard stood watch outside. To be able to be alone with his brother at any timeâthis was, of course, Xie Qianliâs privilege.
Prince Yong could not tolerate Xie Qianli.
His grudge with this man had spanned more than ten years.
In those ten years, Prince Yong had experienced the hostile sense of threat from this hypocrite in many different forms.
Now standing outside the tent, his breathing gradually stalled. He actually heard the sound of a belt being unfastened from within. The silver armor Xie Qianli wore had a bright beast-head buckle at the waist; it would make a crisp metallic sound when opened.
His brotherâs voice sounded half-chiding, half-resentful, carrying a hint of breathiness: “Xie Qianli, don’t be so full of yourself and think you are My most special general.”
He could watch the affair at the Autumn Fragrance Hall as entertainment, but when it came to his own “green hat,” Prince Yong absolutely could not accept it.
The string in his heart snapped instantly.
Murderous intent was impossible to suppress!
All the self-restraint he had accumulated during this period vanished in an instant.
Extremism drove Prince Yong to draw the blade at his waist, intending to lift the tent flap and kill his way inside.
However, the hand he used to lift the flap was suddenly intercepted by a terrifying force mid-air.
He didn’t know what it was. It was like a misty phantom that grabbed his wrist and shoved his blade hilt back into its scabbard.
Prince Yongâs phoenix eyes quickly looked around outside the tent, but there was no one anywhere!
Having suddenly encountered a powerful foe, Prince Yong shifted from impulsive back to calm.
He had no idea when the opponent had approached. It was as if there were invisible secrets hidden all around the tent.
“General Xie, is there movement outside?” Ying Xiâs soft voice asked from within.
Prince Yongâs brow twitched as the tent curtain was lifted.
His heart was uneasy as he came face-to-face with Xie Qianli.
Prince Yong craned his neck to look inside. No one was improperly dressed, nor did he see his brother’s face flushed with passion.
The tent was filled with the clear fragrance of medicinal tea. A plate of loquats sat on a small table. Two people, two chairs.
This scene made Prince Yong doubt if his two days of overexertion had made him go blind, causing him to see hallucinations he shouldn’t have. Prince Yong squeezed his eyes shut.
But this only brought the “Vile Dog” into clearer view. A bone-chilling coldness cast from outside into the tent. That silver-white battle armor illuminated Prince Yongâs vision, making him purse his lips as a chill once again washed over his body.
Xie Qianli blocked Prince Yong with an expressionless face, yet spoke gently toward the interior: “Your Majesty need not worry. It is the Prince who has returned.”
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